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It’s Just a Number

So I tend to avoid the scale. Not because I’m afraid the number will be huge, but because it’s just a number, and it really doesn’t mean much. However, every few weeks I’ll step on the scale to see my weight so that I can make sure my heart rate monitor will be accurate. So this morning when I weighed myself I was shocked that I had actually gained weight since eating clean and exercising (since I went on vacation). But before I let my self-esteem plummet, I reminded myself that:

1- Muscle weighs more than fat

2- My jeans fit better now than they did 6 weeks ago

3- I don’t jiggle

4- I feel fantastic

After that mini pep talk, I put away the scale and forgot about it.

A lot of people tend to measure weight loss by how much they weigh. It is possible to weigh 120 lbs living off Twinkies and oreos. All you have to do is calorie count. Chances are, you will have very little muscle and mostly fat. Back when I used to calorie count and live off “diet” food, I would weigh myself almost every day. It became an obsession. It was unhealthy. If I gained even an ounce, I would become depressed and would skip dinner or lunch to hopefully get rid of it. It took me about a year to break the habit of calorie-counting and weighing myself everyday. I am much happie. Now I go by how I feel and how my clothes fit. If you are trying to lose weight, using a scale can be helpful, just don’t let a number own your life.

This was an intense workout. My heart rate was high during this workout (150-179 bpm), except when I was walking (100-120 bpm). I was incredibly surprised with the difficulty of this TIU routine. The last and first two exercises were very difficult and I kept having to take breather breaks. The rest were pretty easy. I ended up burning way more calories than I had planned (650-ish, then add in from this morning’s walk…it’s about 700-750) so I had to make up for it after dinner. ( I do estimations of calories if I work out too much so that I don’t end up going under 1200 and having my body go into starvation mode- not good!) After I got back, I showered, did some laundry and made dinner.

-wash and chop the head of broccoli and cook in the microwave for 45 sec.-1 min.

-meanwhile, chop the onion slice and prepare the garlic(I use the pre-minced garlic but you can use regular garlic or garlic powder)

-heat a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil, once hot, add the onions and garlic. Let cook for a min. then add the broccoli

-mix everything in the pan together and let sit for a few minutes

-add 1 or 2 tsps of lemon juice

-sprinkle about 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp of herbamare

-mix and let cook for a few minutes

-in a separate bowl, mix the quinoa, broccoli mixture, and the cooked lentils

-drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and mix

DINNER IS SERVED

After dinner I had half of a cinnamon raison roll from Zen Bakery (LOVE the ingredient list) and then went to Yogurtland and made myself a giant bowl of fruit (no yogurt), topped with a brownie bite, some Reece’s Pieces Cups and Oreo Crumbles.

You can’t really tell but about 4/5 -5/6 of this bowl is just fruit and I sprinkled the chocolate junk food over the top (it’s not a lot though).

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About the Crunchy Carrottop

Hi! I'm Caroline. Welcome! I am a 21 year old Communications (Advertising) major in my senior year of college. The Crunchy Carrottop is a healthy living blog dedicated to eating well, working out, and embracing life.